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Life Cycle Assessments of Takeaway Food and Beverage Packaging: The Role of Consumer Behavior

Author

Listed:
  • Justus Caspers

    (Chair of Sustainable Engineering, Technische Universität Berlin, Straße des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany)

  • Elisabeth Süßbauer

    (Center for Technology and Society, Technische Universität Berlin, Kaiserin-Augusta-Allee 104, 10553 Berlin, Germany)

  • Vlad Constantin Coroama

    (Chair of Sustainable Engineering, Technische Universität Berlin, Straße des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany)

  • Matthias Finkbeiner

    (Chair of Sustainable Engineering, Technische Universität Berlin, Straße des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany)

Abstract

Consumer behavior can significantly influence the environmental impact of products. Takeaway food and beverage packaging can be assumed to be an example of this effect, as consumers directly affect its disposal or, in the case of reusable packaging, the reuse rate. While possible environmental impacts of takeaway food and beverage packaging are comprehensively discussed in available Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies, consumer behavior is not extensively considered. Thus, a literature review was used to analyze existing LCAs of takeaway food and beverage packaging regarding three aspects: (i) the extent to which consumers are considered in the use phase, (ii) the inclusion of littering, and (iii) the consideration of consumer behavior in the End-of-Life (EoL) phase. The analysis shows that none of the reviewed LCAs includes all reviewed aspects of consumer behavior, and that the depth of implementation varied significantly. We conclude that, currently, the topic is not adequately considered in available LCAs and future studies need to address it more widely. This is especially important for the comparison of single-use and reusable takeaway packaging, as consumer behavior significantly influences the environmental impact of both systems. Finally, we argue why a method that includes littering on takeaway packaging needs to be developed.

Suggested Citation

  • Justus Caspers & Elisabeth Süßbauer & Vlad Constantin Coroama & Matthias Finkbeiner, 2023. "Life Cycle Assessments of Takeaway Food and Beverage Packaging: The Role of Consumer Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-14, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:5:p:4315-:d:1083308
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wouter Poortinga & Louise Whitaker, 2018. "Promoting the Use of Reusable Coffee Cups through Environmental Messaging, the Provision of Alternatives and Financial Incentives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-10, March.
    2. Babak Nemat & Mohammad Razzaghi & Kim Bolton & Kamran Rousta, 2020. "The Potential of Food Packaging Attributes to Influence Consumers’ Decisions to Sort Waste," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-22, March.
    3. Elisabeth Süßbauer & Henning Wilts & Sarah Julie Otto & Jennifer Schinkel & Klara Wenzel & Rabea-Lorina Dehning & Justus Caspers, 2022. "Way out of the one-way? Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the generation of waste from packaging in Germany [Ausweg aus dem Einweg? Auswirkungen der Corona-Pandemie auf das Verpackungsabfallaufko," NachhaltigkeitsManagementForum | Sustainability Management Forum, Springer, vol. 30(1), pages 1-9, December.
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